PHILIPPI, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team split a Mountain East Conference North Division doubleheader at Alderson Broaddus on Saturday.
    Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltoppers (12-13, 10-8) came out on the short end of a 10-3 score in the first game but rebounded to hand the Battlers (8-11, 8-9) a 4-2 setback in the second contest.
    West Liberty starter Ian Brady yielded single tallies in each of the first two innings of the second game before settling in to blank the hosts over the next three frames while the WLU offense went to work.
    After being held scoreless for the first four innings, the Black and Gold struck hard and fast in the fifth.
    Colton Coss reached base on an error and moved to third on Chad Matthus' double down the left field line. Ty Helmke followed with a 3-run blast over the centerfield fence and Brian Campbell went back-to-back with a solo shot for a 4-2 Hilltopper lead.
    Brady pitched a scoreless fifth to qualify for the win and Sam Aulick shut out the Battlers over the final two innings to earn the save. Coss had two singles in the game while Matthus picked up a single to go along with his two-bagger.
    In the opener, West Liberty had battled back to forge a 2-2 tie with single runs in the third and fourth frames only to see AB explode for eight runs over the next three innings to win going away.
    Ross Salvatori doubled, singled and drove in a run for WLU while Helmke had a solo home run and Coss added an RBI single.
    The teams return to the Battler diamond on Sunday for another twinbill. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
     West Liberty                                     001 110 0 –   3    7  0
Alderson Broaddus                         110 314 x – 10  11  2
     WLU: Pennybacker lp (2SO, 3W), Sinisgalli (5) (0SO, 2W), Bolander (6) (1SO, 0W) and Rine. Salvatori D, S, rbi; Helmke HR, rbi; Coss S, rbi
     ABU: Massad (0SO, 0W), Kirby wp (1) (3SO, 3W), Mullenix (5) (1SO, 1W) and Claus. Casto D, S; Gutierrez 2S, rbi; Cook D, S, rbi; Stewart S, 2rbi; Sheets S, rbi
  West Liberty                                     000 040 0 – 4  8  0
Alderson Broaddus                         110 000 0 – 2  4  4
     WLU: Brady wp (2SO, 4W), Aulick (6) (4SO, 2W) and Fike. Matthus D, S; Coss 2S; Helmke HR, 3rbi; Campbell HR, rbi
     ABU: Varley (7SO, 3W), Mullenix lp (5) (0SO, 0W), Derocher (5) (1SO, 1W) and Claus. Cook HR, rbi